With Mets trailing 6-0, SNY captured awkwardness of Jacob deGrom’s Citi Field return

During his tenure with the New York Mets, Jacob deGrom firmly etched his place as one of the greatest players in franchise history. As such, his Citi Field return on Friday night, as the starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers, was supposed to be a nice, emotional homecoming. But thanks to what happened in the top of the first inning, the Rangers scored six runs, it was awkward.

Gary Cohen, calling the game alongside Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez on SNY, noted the “disastrous first inning for the Mets” as deGrom and the Rangers took the field for the bottom half of the frame.

While deGrom went to the mound, the Citi Field PA announcer called on the fans to “get the party started.” Darling could only respond, “Oh, God.”

The cameras found some fans with signs welcoming deGrom back. But for the most part, the Citi Field fans were stunned and understandably didn’t give deGrom the ovation a player of his caliber would normally get when returning to his former home stadium.

The Mets welcome back Jacob deGrom to Citi Field after they allow six runs in the first to the Rangers.

An awkward scene on the SNY broadcast.

Ron Darling: “We stayed with you, folks, because we wanted to see the reaction from this crowd, but they are just stunned…” ⚾️🎙️ pic.twitter.com/60eBBJY7rX

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 12, 2025

Cohen took notice.

“Not much reaction at all from the crowd as Jacob deGrom takes the mound,” he said. “When Jake was warming up, doing his long toss in the outfield, the Mets played a tribute video and then they played the first segment of his walk-up music, ‘Simple Man.'”

“That was almost a 30-minute half-inning right there,” Hernandez added.

Darling captured the mood of the fans.

“We stayed with you, folks, because we wanted to see the reaction from this crowd, but they are just stunned after last night’s game, six in the first here by the Rangers. I don’t even think they know how to react.”

During the bottom of the first inning, a fan was shown wearing a Mets jersey over Where’s Waldo? attire. Along with his clothing, he was wearing a sign saying “Trying to find a win be like…”

https://t.co/DVDMZWjrdq pic.twitter.com/mzdZ84H15F

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 12, 2025

It has, indeed, been a miserable stretch for the Mets. A six-game losing streak, with the most recent losses coming in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, has taken them out of contention for the National League East race and has made their grip on a Wild Card spot quite tenuous. So, the fans were already tense coming into the game, and the first inning did nothing to ease that tension.